Happy Halloween!

November 5 General Meeting Agenda

Franklin Downtown Partnership GENERAL Meeting Agenda

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Dean College Campus Center @ 8:30 am

Golder Room

1. Open Meeting
   
   
2. Adoption of Agenda
   
   

3. Introductions
   
   

4. Streetscape Project & Town Update

- Jeff Nutting - Town Administrator

5. Update from Executive Director - Lisa Piana
   
   

6. Winter Beautification Day - Eileen Mason
   
   

7. Holiday Stroll - Gregg Chalk, Roberta Trahan

- Thursday, December 3

8. Networking Committee

- Gary Donelan, Matt Lechter  

9. Economic Dev Committee - Lisa Piana, Bryan Taberner

- Dean College Discount Program

- Branding the Downtown

- East Central Street - Retail ideas

10. Signage by-law presentation

- Mark Fitzgerald - Chair of Design Review

- Gus Brown - Building Commissioner

11. New Business
    
    

12. Adjourn

Upcoming Events:

• Networking Luncheon - Friday, November 20
• Winter Beautification - Sunday, November 22
• Holiday Stroll - Thursday, December 3   

MetroWest Visitors Bureau Can Help Promote Events, Businesses, Cultural Sites

MetroWest Visitors Bureau representatives Michele Marotta and Susan Nicholl joined us at the FDP September General Meeting to share some new marketing opportunities with members:

The Town of Franklin, together with the Franklin Downtown Partnership, is working with the MetroWest Visitors Bureau (MWVB) to make some exciting marketing opportunities more affordable to businesses who are members of the Partnership, and to businesses who are members of both the partnership and the MetroWest Visitors Bureau!

Here are some highlights:

• Discounts of $50 or more off your total marketing buy, including the cost of any ad in the upcoming Guide to Metrowest 2016 and/or digital ad or rack card promotion (these discounts would be in addition to discounts offered by the MWVB for early payment, digital and print purchase, etc.);
• Join today and take advantage of the MetroWest Visitors Bureau's membership benefits including discounts on all their marketing opportunities (these special rates make the membership pay for itself!) and an expanded listing in the Guide to MetroWest - with 50,000 distributed throughout the state and beyond, including more than 140+ locations in the region!
• Use the Visitors Bureau's online calendar of events to publicize your events and activities -- http://www.metrowestvisitors.org/event-calendar/. Many events listed in the calendar also get pushed out via social media, Facebook and Twitter;
• Partner with the MWVB and get additional visibility through our affiliation with the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT);
• Great networking and opportunities for professional development events and workshops including the upcoming program. 

Contact Michele Marotta at Michele@metrowestvisitors.org or 508-308-4853 for more information.

MORE MetroWest Rack Card Information Sheet

MetroWest Guide Information Sheet

Downtown Streetscape Project Update #13

Be sure to visit your favorite downtown businesses - they are open! 

Remember, construction crews are finished by 3:00 p.m.

The latest from the Town Administrator's office:

October 27, 2015

DownTown Project Update # 13

The curbing will be placed on East Central Street from Cottage Street to Summer Street and Sidewalks completed by the end of next week (weather permitting).

Paving will take place on Emmons Street, West Central Street and Summer Street at night later this week but most likely next week. The project should begin to wind down in November.

If anyone has a question please feel free to reach out to the DPW Director, Brutus Cantoreggi or Town Engineer, Michael Maglio at 508-553-5500 or Jeffrey Nutting, Town Administrator at 508-520-4949.

The Sugar Shoppe - Franklin's Non-Profit Candy Shop

Did you catch this on Franklin Matters today? New FDP member The Sugar Shoppe is a lot more than just candy. 

Introducing The Sugar Shoppe - a non-profit candy store!

Welcome to the Sugar Shoppe (www.sugarshoppe.org) Your neighborhood Non-Profit Candy Shop...  Life is Short, Make it Sweet! WE ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN! Tues/Wed/Thurs 10-5pm, Fri 10-4pm, Sat 12-4pm *We will add additional hours once the volunteers are in place and trained.   First off, thank you to everyone who came out for our "soft" opening this past Saturday! It was a huge success! If you couldn't make it out, please come by anytime... WE ARE OPEN! (see above hours) Second, we hope you enjoyed your goodies! Whether it was gummies, sours, old school candy, jelly bellies, delicious chocolate TRUFFLES or samples of the FUDGE (coming this week!!) we hope you were happy!! Last, we would like to answer a common question that we hear people ask..."Why are you a non-profit? how does that work?"  Well here is the WHY...Once upon a time lived over 500,000 people in MA who are homeless on a given night.  Most (70%) were staying in residential programs but the rest (30%) were found in unsheltered locations. Nearly 25% of all homeless people were children under the age of 18, 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24, and 65% were 25 years or older. *Stats from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 2014.  We chose the non-profit route as a mission to help cure homelessness in MA. The Sugar Shoppe is the HOPE portion of helping (gift baskets for moms and kids) and the long term mission is the HOUSING  (www.makechangeforchange.org).  YES! all net proceeds go towards this fund. Our mission is to help and have fun while doing so, meeting a lot of new people along the way and bringing the community together for a great cause.  PLEASE SHARE US WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

Forward this email Make Change for Change | 334 Union Street | Franklin | MA | 02038

URCC Taste of the Region Tonight

What are you doing tonight?

Make Plans to Attend the Tastiest Event of the Year!   Taste of the Region will be held Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, 147 Pond St., Franklin. This fun-filled food festival features an eclectic mix of restaurants and food establishments serving samples of a variety of dishes! There's also an exciting silent auction. Tickets cost $10 in advance or $15 at the door.  Call 508-222-0801 for your tickets today!   ___________________________________________ We will award prizes for Best Sweet, Best Savory and Best Presentation! Featured Restaurants & Food Establishments: 3 Restaurant Artistry Kitchen Barrett's Alehouse Boneyard Barbecue Cracker Barrel - Wrentham Edible Arrangements - Foxboro The Cake Bar Tri-County RVT High School Uno Pizzeria & Grill - Bellingham Willow Tree Poultry Farm Inc. J & L Catering Commonwealth BBQ British Beer Company Noodles & Company Lake Pearl Luciano's Alumni Restaurant Chili's Grill and Bar Plainville Oven Essence Thank you to the sponsors that make this event possible! Event Sponsor    Premier Sponsor Program Sponsor Silent Auction Program Sponsor

Franklin Art Association, New Members Music Street Realty & Timeless Barber Shop

Franklin Art Association 

The Franklin Art Association will feature a palette knife demonstration by artist Ann Gorbett at its next meeting on Wednesday, November 4. The Art Association meets at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill Way, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month, September through June. The meetings are free and the public is welcome. 

Coming in November: Fall Art Show!

The always highly anticipated Fall Art Show will be Saturday, November 7, from 12:00-8:00 p.m., and Sunday, November 8, from 12:00-3:00 p.m., hosted at the Tri-County High School. The exhibit will feature fine art paintings, drawing and photography, with exhibited art along with small works, greeting cards and more available for sale, along with the popular scholarship raffle. The exhibit is free and open to the public, with complimentary food and beverages. See you there! 

For more information about the Franklin Art Association, please go to www.franklinart.org.

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New Members

Welcome new business Music Street Realty to the Partnership! Located at 357 Union Street in Franklin, Music Street Realty defines itself as a "modern real estate company that serves as a great local alternative to standard chain brokerages. We are focused on providing exceptional personal service to our clients but also meaningful contributions to the communities in which we do business." Learn more about Music Street Realty at its website, www.musicstreetrealty.com, or find it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram.

Welcome new member Timeless Barber Shop! Located at 13 Main Street Suite #6A, in the Depot Plaza building. Their phone number is (508) 520-0670. 

Dean College Buys East Central Street Building

Some of you may have heard that Dean College recently purchased the Franklin Center Commons II building at 17 East Central Street. Below is the press release with details. Click here to download a copy. 

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is looking forward to continuing to work with Dean College as part of the revitalization of downtown Franklin.

Winter Decorating Press Release

Downtown Partnership, Garden Club to Decorate for Holidays

The Franklin Downtown Partnership will team up with the Franklin Garden Club to decorate the downtown on Sunday, November 22. Volunteers and helpers are welcome to help install wreaths, bows and greenery.

Interested volunteers will meet Beautification Chairperson Eileen Mason at 9 a.m. on the center island. Community service hours are available for students; groups and teams are encouraged to participate. Help is also needed on Saturday, November 21, at Hillside Nurseries to sort greens.

“We are always happy to have the Franklin High School hockey teams work with us. We need volunteers to help with the decorating, and we appreciate any donations that help cover the costs of our beautification work year round,” says Mason.

Anyone interested in volunteering or donating to this event can contact Mason at emason4234@gmail.com. Sponsorship information is also available on the FDP website, www.franklindowntownpartnership.org.

The Franklin Garden Club welcomes new members. The club meets at 7:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Franklin Senior Center.

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a non-profit, 501©3 organization that supports downtown revitalization and streetscape efforts, and organizes events such as the Strawberry Stroll, October Stroll and the Holiday Stroll. For more information please go to www.franklindowntownpartnership.org.

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Holiday Stroll 2012 

Dean Discount Program: Businesses Invited to Join

Dean College has been working with the Franklin Downtown Partnership to develop a great opportunity for FDP businesses and the Dean College community.

It is called the Dean College Discount Program and it gives businesses an opportunity to advertise their business directly to Dean College's 1,100 students along with its faculty and staff.   

If you are interested in increasing your business and taking advantage of this opportunity please follow these easy steps:

1 - Fill out the Dean College form (click here for form) and send to  Donna Tetrault at dtetrault@dean.edu or Matthew Lechter at mlechter@dean.edu.

2 - They will add your business to the Dean College discount program (see attached flyer). The list will appear on Today@ Dean where all students and staff get their information.

3 - Dean College students and staff will show you their college ID to receive your special offer or discount. Dean College is working on a Dean Paw Sticker for businesses interested in putting one in their window for students to see.

We hope you will take advantage of this unique opportunity to encourage students to visit your business during the school year and the Dean college staff year-round.

This discount program will run from September to May.  In June, each business will have a chance to continue their discount with Dean College for the new year or make a change.

URCC/Dean College Business After Hours This Thursday

Dean College Business After Hours  Thursday, October 22 Mentors & Millennials Join us for an exceptional Business After Hours at Dean College on Oct. 22 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.! Prior to our networking event, Ed McDonough will present his Elevator Pitch Bootcamp to Dean College seniors. Those seniors will then join us at the Business After Hours to try out their newly developed elevator pitches. We'll help perfect their speeches so they can use them once they enter the working world! REGISTER TODAY Admission is free to Chamber members; $25 for non-members